Food container

ABSTRACT

Provided is a food container which includes a box body with an opening and a box cover; the box body includes a box bottom and a box wall; a top edge of the box wall extends toward the outer side of the box body to form a first connecting strip; the first connecting strip is provided with a groove in the middle; the box cover includes a cover plate and a side wall; a top edge of the side wall extends toward the outer side of the box cover to form a second connecting strip; the middle of the second connecting strip protrudes to form a convex rib; when the box cover covers the opening of the box body, the convex rib of the box cover is embedded into the groove of the box body to form a seal structure. The food container is good at sealing performance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Application No. CN201820515911.1 having a filing date of Apr. 12, 2018, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The following relates to the technical field of articles for daily use,in particular to a food container.

BACKGROUND

Food containers are utensils commonly used in people's daily life.Referring to FIG. 1, which is a side sectional view of an existing foodcontainer, the existing food container includes a box body 1′ with anopening and a box cover 2′, wherein the box cover 2′ detachably coversthe opening of the box body 1′; the box body 1′ includes a box bottom10′ and a box wall 11′ extending upward along the periphery of the boxbottom 10′; and the box cover 2′ is of a plate-like structure and has anedge bent to form a bent portion 20′. When the box cover 2′ covers theopening of the box body 1′, the inner side of the bent portion 20′ ofthe box cover 2′ is fitted to and sealed against the outer side of thetop of the box wall 11′ of the box body 1′ to achieve the purpose ofstoring food within the box body 1′.

However, due to the very simple structure, the existing food containeris poor in sealing performance, and the box body 1′ and the box cover 2′are liable to separation from each other such that food leakage occursor external air, moisture, microorganisms or the like enters the foodcontainer and contaminates the food, thus affecting the quality of thefood and shorting the shelf life of the food.

SUMMARY

An aspect relates to a food container with the advantages of having goodsealing performance and a simple structure, and being space-saving andconvenient to hold, and a plurality of food containers can be stackedtogether.

A technical solution adopted in embodiments of the present invention isas follows:

A food container includes a box body with an opening and a box cover,wherein the box cover detachably covers the opening of the box body; thebox body includes a box bottom and a box wall extending upward along theperiphery of the box bottom; a top edge of the box wall extends towardthe outer side of the box body to form a first connecting strip; thefirst connecting strip is provided with a groove in the middle, theopening direction of the groove being same as that of the box body, andthe groove encircling the box body to form a closed ring; the box coverincludes a cover plate and a side wall extending upward along theperiphery of the cover plate; a top edge of the side wall extends towardthe outer side of the box cover to form a second connecting strip; themiddle of the second connecting strip protrudes toward the direction ofthe cover plate to form a convex rib; when the box cover covers theopening of the box body, the outer surface of the side wall of the boxcover is fitted to the inner surface of the box wall of the box body,the convex rib of the box cover is embedded into the groove of the boxbody to form a seal structure.

In embodiments of the present invention, fitting between the box wall ofthe box body and the side wall of the box cover and fitting between thegroove of the box body and the convex rib of the box cover achieve agood sealing effect, and firm joining of the first connecting strip andthe second connecting strip achieves close fitting between the box coverand the box body and improves the sealing performance of the foodcontainer. Second, the box cover is composed of the cover plate and theside wall and has the accommodating space therein available for stackingother food container or article, thus achieving a space saving effect.Furthermore, when the box cover needs to be lifted, the user can pullout the edge of the box cover using his thumb, and at the same time fixthe side wall of the box cover using other fingers, thereby easilyremoving the box cover; with the side wall of the box cover as a forcereceiving surface, the operation difficulty of opening the foodcontainer can be reduced; and when the user grasps the food container,his thumb can clasp the side wall of the box cover to improve theholding stability and prevent food spilling due to slip of the hand.

Compared with the known art, the food container of embodiments of thepresent invention has the advantages of having good sealing performance,humanized design and a simple structure, and being space-saving,convenient to hold, highly practical and easy to manufacture, and aplurality of food containers can be stacked together; and the foodcontainer can be used as a lunch box, a liquid containing cup or thelike.

Further, an edge of the first connecting strip is bent toward thedirection of the box bottom to form a first bent portion, and an edge ofthe second connecting strip is bent toward the direction of the coverplate to form a second bent portion; and when the box cover covers theopening of the box body, the first bent portion is fitted to and sealedagainst the second bent portion, so that the sealing performance of thefood container can be further enhanced and a multi-sealing effect isachieved.

Further, the width of the second bent portion is greater than that ofthe first bent portion; the inner side of an edge of the second bentportion bulges to form a lock protrusion; and the lock protrusionextends to an edge of the second bent portion.

With the lock protrusion, the position of the first bent portion can belimited to prevent the first bent portion from separating from thesecond bent portion and further improve the sealing performance of thefood container; furthermore, the lock protrusion can serve as a forceapplying point for removing the box cover, and the user can open thefood container by pulling out the lock protrusion, thus reducing theoperation difficulty.

Further, the inner surface of the box wall is provided with a supportingstep bulging from the inner surface; the upper surface of the supportingstep is parallel to the box bottom, and the distance between the uppersurface of the supporting step and the top of the box wall is equal tothe height of the outer surface of the side wall of the box cover tosupport the cover plate of the box cover.

The supporting step can function to support the cover plate of the boxcover to improve the load bearing capability of the box cover, which isconducive to stacking more food containers or articles on the box coverto achieve the space saving purpose.

Further, the outer diameter of the bottom of the box wall is smallerthan or equal to the inner diameter of the bottom of the side wall ofthe box cover, so that the inner space of the box cover can accommodatethe bottom of the box wall, and when a plurality of food containers withfood contained therein are stacked together, as the side wall retainsthe bottom of the box wall, the overall stability of stacking the foodcontainer can be improved, and the number of stacked food containers canbe increased, thus saving space and facilitating transport.

Further, the groove is formed by bending the first connecting strip, andthus the first connecting strip is somewhat elastic, such that the firstbent portion is more closely fitted to the second bent portion, and theouter surface of the side wall of the box cover is more closely fittedto the inner surface of the box wall of the box body, which is conduciveto improving the sealing performance.

Further, a plurality of reinforcing vertical ribs are arranged on theouter surface of the box wall to improve the mechanical strength.

Further, the plurality of reinforcing vertical ribs are uniformlyarranged at intervals in a top area of the outer surface of the boxwall, and the length of each reinforcing vertical rib is not greaterthan one fourth the height of the box body.

Generally, the top of the box wall is mostly liable to deformation underheat to result in leakage of high-temperature liquid, so providing thereinforcing vertical ribs in this area can maximally reduce thepossibility of leakage and improve the safety; and when the length ofeach reinforcing vertical rib is not greater than one fourth the heightof the box body, the effect of improving the mechanical strength can beachieved and unnecessary material cost can be reduced.

Further, a central part of the outer surface of the box bottom isrecessed toward the direction of an accommodating space of the box bodyto form a convex ring at a peripheral edge of the outer surface of thebox bottom, thus facilitating grasping it by a finger, improving theholding stability and avoiding a food spilling accident.

Further, the outer surface of the box wall is provided with at least oneanti-slip protrusion, so that the stability of grasping with a hand canbe effective improved.

For the sake of better understanding and implementation, embodiments ofthe present invention is described in detail below in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference tothe following figures, wherein like designations denote like members,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an existing food container;

FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of a food container of embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the food container of embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the food container of embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view in a direction A-A of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part I in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom diagram of the food container of embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIGS. 2-7 at the same time, wherein FIG. 2 is astructure diagram of a food container of embodiments of the presentinvention; FIG. 3 is a front view of the food container of embodimentsof the present invention; FIG. 4 is a top view of the food container ofembodiments of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a sectional view in adirection A-A of FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a part I in FIG.5; and FIG. 7 is a bottom diagram of the food container of embodimentsof the present invention.

The food container of embodiments of the present invention includes abox body 1 with an opening and a box cover 2, wherein the box cover 2detachably covers the opening of the box body 1. The box body 1 includesa box bottom 10 and a box wall 11 extending upward along the peripheryof the box bottom 10. The box cover 2 includes a cover plate 20 and aside wall 21 extending upward along the periphery of the cover plate 20,the outer surface of the side wall 21 and the inner surface of the boxwall 11 being form fitted. Preferably, the height of the box cover 2 isnot greater than one fifth that of the box body 1, to ensure asufficient volume within the box body 1 for containing food.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a top edge of the box wall 11 extends towardthe outer side of the box body 1 to form a first connecting strip 110;in this embodiment, preferably, the top edge of the box wall 11 extendshorizontally toward the outer side of the box body 1 to form the firstconnecting strip 110. The first connecting strip 110 is provided with agroove 111 in the middle, the opening direction of the groove 111 beingsame as that of the box body 1, and the groove 111 encircling the boxbody 1 to form a closed ring. Preferably, the groove 111 is formed bybending the first connecting strip 110. An edge of the first connectingstrip 110 is bent toward the direction of the box bottom 10 to form afirst bent portion 112. The bent part of the first bent portion 112 isarc-shaped to avoid injuring a user's hand due to its excessivesharpness.

The inner surface of the box wall 11 is provided with a supporting step113 bulging from the inner surface. The upper surface of the supportingstep 113 is parallel to the box bottom 10, and the distance between theupper surface of the supporting step and the top of the box wall 11 isequal to the height of the outer surface of the side wall 21 of the boxcover 2 to support the cover plate 20 of the box cover 2. There arevarious forms of the supporting step 113. For example, there are twosupporting steps 113, and the two supporting steps 113 are arranged attwo sides of the box bottom 10 respectively and can provide two-pointsupport for the outer surface of the cover plate 20; as another example,there are more than two supporting steps 113, and the pluralitysupporting step 113 are arranged at intervals around the box bottom 10and can provide multi-point support for the outer surface of the coverplate 20; as a further example, the supporting step 113 forms a closedring around the inner surface of the box body 1, with an opening thusformed being smaller than the size of the cover plate 20, and cansupport a peripheral edge of the outer surface of the cover plate 20.

A plurality of reinforcing vertical ribs 114 are arranged in a top areaof the outer surface of the box wall 11, the plurality of reinforcingvertical ribs 114 being distributed uniformly at intervals, and thelength of each reinforcing vertical rib 114 being not greater than onefourth the height of the box body 1. The outer surface of the box wall11 is also provided with at least one anti-slip protrusion 115.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, a central part of the outer surface of thebox bottom 10 is recessed toward the direction of an accommodating spaceof the box body 1 to form a convex ring 101 at a peripheral edge of theouter surface of the box bottom 10, the width of the convex ring 101being 5-300 mm to facilitate the user holding it with a finger.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a top edge of the side wall 21 extends towardthe outer side of the box cover 2 to form a second connecting strip 210;in this embodiment, preferably, the top edge of the side wall 21 extendshorizontally toward the outer side of the box cover 21 to form thesecond connecting strip 210. The middle of the second connecting strip210 protrudes toward the direction of the cover plate 20 to form aconvex rib 211. An edge of the second connecting strip 210 is benttoward the direction of the cover plate 20 to form a second bent portion212, the second bent portion 212 and the first bent portion 112 beingform fitted, and the width of the second bent portion being greater thanthat of the first bent portion 112 and smaller than the height of theside wall 21. The inner side of an edge of the second bent portion 212bulges to form a lock protrusion 213, the lock protrusion 213 extendingto an edge of the second bent portion 212 and having two inclinedsurfaces which are oblique toward the cover plate 20 and toward theouter side of the cover plate 20 respectively, with an arc transitionformed between the two inclined surfaces to avoid injuring the user'shand due to its excessive sharpness.

When the box cover 2 covers the opening of the box body 1, the outersurface of the side wall 21 of the box cover 2 is fitted to the innersurface of the box wall 11 of the box body 1, the convex rib 211 of thebox cover 2 is embedded into the groove 111 of the box body 1 to form aseal structure, and the first bent portion 112 is fitted to and sealedagainst the second bent portion 212.

The box wall 11 is oblique toward the outer side of the box bottom 10,and thus the inner diameter of the box wall 11 gradually increases fromthe periphery of the box bottom 10 to the first connecting strip 110.The side wall 21 of the box cover 2 is oblique toward the outer side ofthe cover plate 20, and thus the inner diameter of the side wall 21gradually increases from the periphery of the cover plate 20 to thesecond connecting strip 210. The outer diameter of the bottom of the boxwall 11 is smaller than or equal to the inner diameter of the bottom ofthe side wall 21 of the box cover 2, so that the inner space of the boxcover 2 can accommodate the bottom of the box wall 11, and when aplurality of food containers are stacked together, the side wall 21retains the bottom of the box wall 11.

The food container may be circular, elliptical, rectangular, pentagonal,hexagonal or in other irregular shape. Further preferably, the boxbottom 10 of the embodiment is circular, and the cover plate 20 is alsocircular. The volume of the food container is within the range of100-50000 ml. The food container is made of food-grade polypropylene,high-impact polystyrene, biaxially oriented polystyrene, naturalinorganic mineral-filled polypropylene composite, paper product or thelike to be conducive to degradation or recycling, and is made by usingmolds.

The working principle of the food container of embodiments of thepresent invention is as follows:

After food is contained, the user puts the box cover 2 onto the openingof the box body 1, and joins the first connecting strip 110 and thesecond connecting strip 210; by pressing the convex rib 211 into thegroove 111, the first bent portion 112 is closely fitted to the secondbent portion 212, and the side wall 21 of the box cover 2 is closelyfitted to the box wall 11 of the box body 1, and the lock protrusion 213can have a retaining effect to prevent the first bent portion 112 fromseparating from the second bent portion 212 and achieve good sealing ofthe food within the food container. The user can stack together aplurality of food containers with food contained therein to reduce theaccommodating space and facilitate transport, and the convex ring 101 ofthe box bottom 10 facilitates grasping. When the box cover 2 needs to belifted, the user can pull out the lock protrusion 213 with his thumb,and at the same time fixes the inner surface of the side wall 21 of thebox cover 2 by other fingers, thereby easily removing the box cover 2.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the form ofpreferred embodiments and variations thereon, it will be understood thatnumerous additional modifications and variations could be made theretowithout departing from the scope of the invention.

For the sake of clarity, it is to be understood that the use of ‘a’ or‘an’ throughout this application does not exclude a plurality, and‘comprising’ does not exclude other steps or elements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A food container includes a box body with an opening and a box cover, wherein the box cover detachably covers the opening of the box body; the box body includes a box bottom and a box wall extending upward along the periphery of the box bottom; a top edge of the box wall extends toward the outer side of the box body to form a first connecting strip; the first connecting strip is provided with a groove in the middle, the opening direction of the groove being same as that of the box body, and the groove encircling the box body to form a closed ring; the box cover includes a cover plate and a side wall extending upward along the periphery of the cover plate; a top edge of the side wall extends toward the outer side of the box cover to form a second connecting strip; the middle of the second connecting strip protrudes toward the direction of the cover plate to form a convex rib; when the box cover covers the opening of the box body, the outer surface of the side wall of the box cover is fitted to the inner surface of the box wall of the box body, the convex rib of the box cover is embedded into the groove of the box body to form a seal structure.
 2. The food container of claim 1, wherein an edge of the first connecting strip is bent toward the direction of the box bottom to form a first bent portion, and an edge of the second connecting strip is bent toward the direction of the cover plate to form a second bent portion; and when the box cover covers the opening of the box body, the first bent portion is fitted to and sealed against the second bent portion.
 3. The food container of claim 2, wherein the width of the second bent portion is greater than that of the first bent portion; the inner side of an edge of the second bent portion bulges to form a lock protrusion; and the lock protrusion extends to an edge of the second bent portion.
 4. The food container of claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the box wall is provided with a supporting step bulging from the inner surface; the upper surface of the supporting step is parallel to the box bottom, and the distance between the upper surface of the supporting step and the top of the box wall is equal to the height of the outer surface of the side wall of the box cover to support the cover plate of the box cover.
 5. The food container of claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the bottom of the box wall is smaller than or equal to the inner diameter of the bottom of the side wall of the box cover.
 6. The food container of claim 2, the groove is formed by bending the first connecting strip.
 7. The food container of claim 1, wherein a plurality of reinforcing vertical ribs are arranged on the outer surface of the box wall.
 8. The food container of claim 7, wherein the plurality of reinforcing vertical ribs are uniformly arranged at intervals in a top area of the outer surface of the box wall, and the length of each reinforcing vertical rib is not greater than one fourth the height of the box body.
 9. The food container of claim 7, wherein a central part of the outer surface of the box bottom is recessed toward the direction of an accommodating space of the box body to form a convex ring at a peripheral edge of the outer surface of the box bottom.
 10. The food container of claim 7, wherein the outer surface of the box wall is provided with at least one anti-slip protrusion. 